System for mounting and cooling a computer component

ABSTRACT

A system includes a support rack and a component housing. The support rack includes a pair of vertically-extending panels, and each panel of the pair of vertically-extending panels has one or more first mating members of a water coupler pair extending outwardly from the support rack. The component housing is slidably disposed between the pair of vertically-extending panels and has a front panel, a pair of sidewalls extending rearwardly from the front panel, a component water line, and two second mating members of the water coupler pair connected to each other by the component water line.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates in general to mounting computercomponents, and more particularly, to systems for mounting computercomponents that are capable of providing cooling thereto.

2. Description of the Related Art

In many large server applications, processors along with theirassociated electronics (e.g., memory, disk drives, power supplies, etc.)are packaged in removable node configurations. The nodes are stackedwithin an electronics (or IT) rack or frame and can be stored in drawersin the rack or frame. Alternatively, the electronics are coupled to therack or frame at fixed locations. The IT racks or frames are typicallydisposed together and, at times, side-by-side in a single room.

To cool the components, the rooms may be equipped with air movingdevices, such as fans or blowers, which move air in parallel airflowpaths, usually front-to-back. In other cases in which components areincluded as parts of large installations, such as with “server farms” orlarge banks of computer racks that are located close together, liquidcooling (e.g., water cooling) is used to manage the higher heat fluxes.For example, water lines are coupled directly to a component and theliquid absorbs the heat dissipated by the components/modules in anefficient manner. Typically, the heat is ultimately transferred from theliquid to an outside environment, whether air or other liquid coolant.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Although liquid cooling is generally very effective for coolingcomponents, it may be improved. For example, current liquid coolingsystems run water lines directly to connectors located on computercomponents. The connectors are typically located at a rear portion ofthe components and may be difficult to access. Additionally, the waterlines are relatively stiff, difficult to handle, and need to be manuallydisconnected, and hence, service and maintenance of the computercomponents may be time-consuming and challenging. Moreover, when thewater lines are disconnected, liquid may be prone to drip onto thecomponents.

To alleviate the aforementioned issues, improved systems for coolingcomponents are now provided. In an embodiment, by way of example only,the system includes a support rack and a component housing. The supportrack includes a first pair of vertically-extending panels, and eachpanel of the first pair of vertically-extending panels has one or morefirst mating members of a water coupler pair extending outwardly fromthe support rack. The component housing is slidably disposed between thefirst pair of vertically-extending panels and has a front panel, a pairof sidewalls extending rearwardly from the front panel, a componentwater line, and two second mating members of the water coupler pairconnected to each other by the component water line. The front panel hasa front surface including a first side portion and a second side portionextending beyond each sidewall of the pair of sidewalls. A first of thetwo second mating members of the water coupler pair is disposed behindthe first side portion and coupled to the first end section of thecomponent water line, and a second of the two second mating members ofthe water coupler pair is disposed behind the second side portion andcoupled to the second end section. The first and the second of the twosecond mating members are configured to engage with corresponding firstmating members of the water coupler pair disposed on thevertically-extending panels of the support rack.

In another embodiment, by way of example only, a support rack providedfor mounting a computer component includes a pair ofvertically-extending panels, each panel of the pair ofvertically-extending panels including one or more first mating membersof a water coupler pair extending outwardly from the support rackconfigured to sealingly engage with corresponding second mating membersof the water coupler pair coupled to the computer component.

In still another embodiment, by way of example only, a computercomponent is provided for mounting to a support rack and includes afront panel including a first side portion and a second side portion, apair of sidewalls extending rearwardly from the front panel defining aninterior with the front panel, a component water line disposed, in part,in the interior and includes a first end second and a second end sectionextending outside of the interior, and two first mating members of awater coupler pair connected to each other by the component water line,respectively. A first of the two first mating members of the watercoupler pair is disposed behind the first side portion and coupled tothe first end section of the component water line. A second of the twosecond mating members of the water coupler pair is disposed behind thesecond side portion and coupled to the second end section. The first andthe second of the two second mating members are configured to engagewith corresponding second mating members of the water coupler pairdisposed on the support rack.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the advantages of the invention will be readilyunderstood, a more particular description of the invention brieflydescribed above will be rendered by reference to specific embodimentsthat are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that thesedrawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are nottherefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the inventionwill be described and explained with additional specificity and detailthrough the use of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustration of a system for coolingcomputer components;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustration of a support rack that may beincluded in the system depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a close-up view illustration of a portion of the support rackdepicted in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustration of a component housing thatmay be included in the system depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a close-up view illustration of a side portion of thecomponent housing depicted in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a water coupler pair that may beincluded in the system depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustration of a latch connected to amating member of a water coupler pair that may be included on thecomponent housing depicted in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustration of the latch depicted in FIG.7; and

FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustration of a portion of a componenthousing disposed within and disconnected from a portion of the supportrack.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The illustrated embodiments below provide a system that integratesautomatic docking couplers adjacent to an Electronic Industries Alliance(EIA) ear space at the front of a server rack to thereby provide fixed,mating water line couplers in the front of the server rack. The systemalso includes improved component housings with an extended front panelincluding side portions that have cutout openings providing access toadditional water line couplers that correspond to and mate with thewater line couplers on the server rack. Each water line coupler on thecomponent housing is biased to form a leak-tight seal with the waterline coupler on the server rack, but can be mechanically released via alatch that can be manipulated to actuate coupler release. In this way,the component housing unlocks from the EIA rack, thereby being easilyslid out of the server rack for service.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustration of a system 100 for coolingcomputer components, according to an embodiment. The system 100 includesa computing component 102 and a support rack 104. The computingcomponent 102 is a server, in an embodiment. In other embodiments, thecomputing component 102 is another hardware component typically employedas part of a computer system and that may need to be cooled duringoperation.

The support rack 104 is configured for mounting the computing component102 thereto. With additional reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the supportrack 104 is generally made up of a front pair of vertically-extendingpanels 106 and 108, a front pair of ear rails 110 and 112, a rear pairof vertical supports 114 and 116, a rear pair of ear rails 118 and 120,and horizontal slide and support rails 122 and 123. The front pair ofear rails 110 and 112 is disposed between the panels 106 and 108, andeach extends alongside a corresponding one of the front pair ofvertically-extending panels 106 and 108. Similarly, each ear rail of therear pair of ear rails 118 and 120 extends alongside a corresponding oneof the rear vertical supports 114 and 116, and is disposed between thesupports 114 and 116.

Each ear rail 110, 112, 118, and 120 includes an array of openings 124that can be optionally used for securing components to the support rack104. Desirably, the front pair of ear rails 110 and 112, and likewise,the rear pair of ear rails 118 and 120, are located a predetermineddistance from each other so that corresponding openings 124 on each earrail of the front pair of ear rails 110 and 112 comply withconfiguration standards set forth by the EIA. For example, the front earrails 110 and 112 are set a distance apart so that correspondingopenings 124 are about 17.7-inches apart. The openings 124 on the rearpair of ear rails 118 and 120 are desirably located a predeterminedapart as well.

The horizontal slide rails 122 extend between the front ear rails 110and 112 and the rear vertical supports 114 and 116. The horizontal sliderails 122 are configured to correspond to rails 125 attached to sidesurfaces 126 of the component 102 and, in an embodiment, include rollerbearings (not shown). In this way, the horizontal slide rails 122 toallow the corresponding rails 125 to be slid relative to each other sothat the components 102 can be easily inserted into and removed from thesupport rack 104. The horizontal support rails 123 include hollowchannels (not shown) formed therein for bundling cables, wires, or otherconnectors that run to and from the components 102 mounted to thesupport rack 104.

The support rack 104 is a standalone structure, in an embodiment.Alternatively, the support rack 104 is disposed within a cabinet frame127 including outer vertical posts 128 each extending adjacent to andoutside of the front pair of the vertically-extending panels 106 and 108and rear vertical supports 114, and 116. The cabinet frame 127 includesa top wall 130 and a bottom platform 131 between which the outervertical posts 128 extend. In an embodiment, the cabinet frame 127 has adoor (not shown) for concealing the component 102 and other componentswithin the cabinet frame 127.

As mentioned briefly above, the support rack 104 is configured to beused in a cooling system 100. In this regard, the front pair ofvertically-extending panels 106 and 108 includes one or more firstmating members 134 of a pair of water coupling mechanisms, which areconfigured to mate with corresponding second mating members 136 (FIG. 4)of the water coupler pair coupled to the component 102. In anembodiment, the first mating members 134 are spaced apart evenly alongthe lengths of the vertically-extending panels 106 and 108. For example,the first mating members 134 are disposed at predetermined U-spaceintervals along panels 106 and 108.

In an embodiment, the first mating members 134 are male couplers andextend frontward from the corresponding vertically-extending panel 106or 108. As depicted in FIG. 3, a rear portion of the first mating member134 is obstructed from view, when viewed from the front. An auxiliarywater line (not shown) extends from a rear side of the panel 106 or 108toward a common manifold (not shown) at a bottom of the support rack104. In an embodiment, water lines running to panel 106 are configuredto deliver cold liquid toward the component 102, and water lines runningfrom panel 108 are configured to direct warm or hot liquid away from thecomponent 102, or vice versa.

Turning now to FIGS. 1, 4, and 5, the server component 102 includes acomponent housing 146 that can be slidably disposed between the firstpair of vertically-extending panels 106 and 108. The component housing146 is generally a rectangular box and includes a front panel 148, arear panel 150, a pair of sidewalls 152 and 154 extending rearwardlyfrom the front panel 148 to the rear panel 150, and top and bottompanels 156 and 158. The panels 148, 150, 156, and 158 and the sidewalls152 and 154 together define an interior cavity within which electronicparts, such as processors or other circuitry and small hardwarecomponents, are disposed. In addition to the electronics, in anembodiment, a component water line 162 (only the ends 172 and 174 ofwhich is shown) is included in the interior cavity for cooling theelectronic components during component 102 use.

The front panel 148 includes side portions 164 and 166, and each extendsbeyond the pair of sidewalls 152 and 154. The first and second sideportions 164 and 166 each have a planar section 168 and a corner section170. The planar sections 168 allow the ends 172 and 174 of the componentwater line 162 extending substantially parallel thereto to be obscuredfrom view. Additionally, when the component housing 146 is disposed onthe rack 104, each planar section 168 extends a sufficient lengthoutside the side walls 152 and 154 past a corresponding one of the frontear rails 110 and 112. The corner section 170 is curved, in anembodiment, and includes a cutout 176 to provide access to the areabehind the planar section 168. In this regard, the cutout 176 is formedbelow a portion of the corner section 170 for obscuring view of the endsection 172 or 174 of the component water line 162 and is just above abottom edge 178 of the front panel 148. In another embodiment, thecorner section 170 is beveled, and/or the cutout 176 is located closerto a top edge 180 of the front panel 148 than the bottom edge 178.

As noted briefly above, the component water line 162 extends through thecomponent housing 146 to cool the components therein. To connect thecomponent water line 162 to one of the auxiliary water lines, secondmating members 136 of the water coupler pair are included on each of theend section 172 or 174 of the component water line 162. Each secondmating member 136 extends from a corresponding end section 172 or 174toward a rear of the component housing 146. Additionally, a distancebetween the second mating members 136 matches a distance between thefirst mating members 134 of the water coupler pair so that when thecomponent 102 is to be mounted to the support rack 102, the secondmating member 136 can be easily aligned with and inserted into the firstmating member 134 on the support rack 104. In an embodiment, theconnection between the first and second mating members 136 mounts thecomponent 102 to the support rack 104.

With additional reference to FIG. 6, close-up views of the first matingmember 134 and the second mating member 136 are provided. The firstmating member 134 is generally cylindrical and includes a rear threadedportion 138, a coupling nut 140, and an insertion pin 142. The rearthreaded portion 138 and insertion pin 142 are formed on opposite endsof the member 134 cylinder, and the adjustable coupling nut 140 isdisposed on the cylinder therebetween. With additional reference to FIG.3, as alluded to briefly above, the rear threaded portion 138 isconfigured to attach to an end of an auxiliary water line (not shown)having an opening defined by corresponding threaded walls. The couplingnut 140 is configured to be adjusted such that when the first matingmember 134 is coupled to the auxiliary water line, the coupling nut 140can be rotated in an appropriate direction to tighten the nut 140against the panel 106 or 108 to thereby secure the first mating member134 to the panel 106 or 108. Returning to FIG. 6, the insertion pin 142is configured to be inserted into and to form a leak-tight seal with thecorresponding second mating member 136 of the water coupler pair on thecomponent 102.

The second mating member 136 is a female water coupler and is generallycylindrical having a channel 182 for receiving the insertion pin 142 ofthe first mating member 134, a spring-loaded collar 184, and aconnection nut 186. To form the leak-tight seal with the first matingmember 134 when inserted in the channel 182, the channel 182 includes arubber, plastic or other type of seal, in an embodiment. Thespring-loaded collar 184 either surrounds a separate piece within whichthe channel 182 is formed or defines a portion of the channel 182. Thespring-loaded collar 184 is configured to be biased to a first positionto place the second mating member 136 in an elongated configuration.Thus, when the members 134 and 136 are mated, the elongatedconfiguration of the second mating member 136 allows the two members 134and 136 to sealingly connect together. The spring-loaded collar 184 canbe slid into a second position placing the second mating member 136 in acontracted configuration, which causes the insertion pin 142 and theseal within the channel 182 to break the leak-tight seal therebetweenand to be quickly disconnected from each other. The connection nut 186has a threaded inner surface and is used to couple the second matingmember 136 to a threaded outer surface of the end section 172 or 174 ofthe component water line 162.

With reference to FIGS. 5, 7, and 8, to more easily manipulate the quickrelease feature of the water coupler pair, a latch 190 is coupled to thespring-loaded collar 184 and accessible by the user through the cutout176 formed in the front panel 148 of the component housing 142. Thelatch 190 is configured to provide a surface 192 that can receive aforce from one or more fingertips of the user and transmit the force tothe collar 184 to thereby actuate the collar 184. For example, the latch190 includes a C-shaped trigger portion 191 that includes an actuationplate 194, a first connector plate 196, and a second connector plate198. The actuation plate 194 provides the surface 192 the user accessesand is generally configured to be substantially parallel to the frontpanel 148. In an embodiment, a height of the actuation plate 194 is lessthan a height of the front panel 148 and slightly greater than a heightof the cutout 176. In an alternative embodiment, the actuation plate 194has a height that is less than the height of the cutout 176. To preventinjury to the user, the edge 200 configured to be closest to the cutout176 includes an angled flange portion 202 that consequently slantstoward the front panel 148. The flange portion 202 extends along anentirety of the edge 200, in an embodiment. Alternatively, the flangeportion 202 runs along a portion of the edge 200.

The first connector plate 196 extends from an edge of the actuationplate 194 and is angled relative to the actuation plate 194. In anembodiment, as depicted in the illustrations, the first connector plate196 is formed substantially perpendicular to the actuation plate 194. Inanother embodiment, the first connector plate 196 is anglednon-perpendicularly relative to the actuation plate 194, for example,extending less than 90 degrees from the actuation plate 194. The secondconnector plate 198 extends at an angle from an edge of the first plate196. According to an embodiment, the second connector plate 198 extendssuch that it is substantially parallel to the actuation plate 194. Inanother embodiment, the second connector plate 198 is not parallel tothe actuation plate 194, but extends in the same direction as theactuation plate 194. The second connector plate 198 is configured suchthat its edge 201, when the latch 190 is coupled to the second matingmember 136, is located just under the second mating member 136.

An attachment portion 204 extends from the C-shaped trigger portion 191to couple to the spring-loaded collar 184 of the second mating member136. In an example, the attachment portion 204 includes a plate section206 and a ring portion 208. The plate section 206 extends from the edgeof the second connector plate 188 and aligns with a portion of thelength of the second mating member 136. The ring portion 208 is formedat a corner 210 of the end of the plate section 206 to convenientlyattach to the spring-loaded collar 184. For example, the ring portion208 has an opening 212 that is slightly larger than a diameter of thespring-loaded collar 184 to slip thereover. In another embodiment, theportion 208 is adhered or otherwise attached to an end of thespring-loaded collar 184 and the opening 212 is sufficiently sized suchto allow the first mating member 134 to be inserted therethrough.

The latch 190 is formed from a relatively stiff material, in anembodiment, such a metal, steel, or a hard plastic, that is capable oftransmitting a force from the actuation plate 194 to the spring-loadedcollar 184. Although the trigger portion 191 is depicted as includingthree distinct plates 194, 196, and 198, the trigger portion 191 is asingle piece having a curved C-shape, in another embodiment. In stillanother embodiment, the trigger portion 191 includes an actuation ringin which a finger can be inserted and a spring or rod extending from theactuation ring for coupling with the second mating member 136.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 9, the computer component 102 is insertedbetween the front ear rails 110 and 112 and rails 125 on side walls 152and 154 of the component 102 are matched with and placed into thedesired horizontal slide rails 123 on the support rack 104. Oncesufficiently disposed on the horizontal slide rails 123, the computercomponent 102 is pushed into the support rack 104 until the insertionpin 142 of the first mating member 134 and is disposed within thechannel 182 of the second mating members 136. The user may need to exertadditional force on the front panel 148 of the component 102 to causethe second mating member 136 to fully engage with the first matingmember 134 and form the leak-tight seal therebetween to thereby create awater connection between the water coupler pair.

When service or maintenance is to be performed on the computer component102, the user removes the computer component 102 by inserting one ormore fingers through the cutout 176 of each side portion 164 and 166 andpulling on the trigger 191 of the latch 190 (see FIG. 5). For example,the user pulls the actuation plate 194 forward toward the front panel148, which consequently causes the spring-loaded collar 184 to also moveforward and release the first mating member 134 from the second matingmember 136.

The above described system for cooling computer components mounted on asupport rack is compact and, because no flexible water line bend spaceis required, occupies a small footprint relative to previous coolingsystems. The inclusion of automatically-docking water couplers providesan easy and user fool-proof system for reconnecting water lines that runthrough computer components to water lines that are connected tomanifolds external to the system. Sliding the computer component into aseated mounted position automatically mates the water couplerconnections, while sliding the component out for service automaticallydisconnects the water coupler connections. Moreover, because the waterconnection is located at a position outside of the ear rails andradially exterior to the components, potential drips are isolated fromsensitive electronic parts. Additionally, the latches allow for easyfinger-tip actuation/release of the recessed water couplers, which arehidden behind the front panel of the component. The latch can bemanipulated to cause the water couplers to lock and form the waterconnections. The mated water couplers can also be used to secure thecomputer component to the rack, thereby further simplifying usability.

Although at least one embodiment has been described above, it should beappreciated that such embodiments are only examples, and are notintended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of theinvention in any way. A vast number of variations exist and it should beunderstood that various changes may be made in the function andarrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer component mounting system comprising:a support rack including a pair of vertically-extending panels, and eachpanel of the pair of vertically-extending panels including one or morefirst mating members of a water coupler pair extending outwardly fromthe support rack; and a component housing slidably disposed between thepair of vertically-extending panels and having a front panel, a pair ofsidewalls extending rearwardly from the front panel, a component waterline, and two second mating members of the water coupler pair connectedto each other by the component water line, the front panel having afront surface including a first side portion and a second side portionextending beyond each sidewall of the pair of sidewalls, a first of thetwo second mating members of the water coupler pair disposed behind thefirst side portion and coupled to the first end section of the componentwater line, and a second of the two second mating members of the watercoupler pair disposed behind the second side portion and coupled to thesecond end section, wherein the first and the second of the two secondmating members are configured to engage with corresponding first matingmembers of the water coupler pair disposed on the vertically-extendingpanels of the support rack.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein each ofthe second mating members of the water coupler pair includes aspring-loaded collar and a channel, the channel of the second matingmember configured to engage with a corresponding portion of the firstmating member of the water coupler pair when the spring-loaded collar isin a first position and to disengage from the corresponding portion whenthe spring-loaded collar is in a second position.
 3. The system of claim2, further comprising a latch coupled to one of the second matingmembers of the water coupler pair, the latch including a triggerconfigured to move the spring-loaded collar from the first position tothe second position when force is applied to the trigger.
 4. The systemof claim 3, wherein: the latch further includes a connection mechanismin contact with the spring-loaded collar, and the connection mechanismis coupled to the trigger.
 5. The system of claim 4, wherein theconnection mechanism is coupled to the spring-loaded collar.
 6. Thesystem of claim 3, wherein the trigger is C-shaped and includes anactuation plate plate configured to receive the force.
 7. The system ofclaim 1, wherein each of the first and second side portions of the frontpanel includes a cutout providing access to the water coupler pair. 8.The system of claim 1, wherein the first and second side portions eachinclude a curved corner, and the first and second end sections of thecomponent water line are disposed behind the first and second sideportions, respectively.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein each of thefirst and second side portions of the front panel includes a cutoutproviding access to the water coupler pair, and each cutout is formed ata location on the corner that substantially obscures viewing of thecomponent water line and the water coupler pair.
 10. The system of claim1, wherein: the component housing includes an interior defined in partby the pair of side walls and the front panel, a plurality of electroniccomponents is disposed in the interior of the component housing, and thecomponent water line extends through the interior of the componenthousing to provide cooling to the plurality of electronic components.11. The system of claim 1, wherein the support rack further comprises apair of vertical supports spaced apart from the pair ofvertically-extending panels, and one or more horizontally-extendingrails extending between one panel of the pair of vertically-extendingpanels and one panel of the pair of vertical supports.
 13. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the support rack further comprises vertical ear railseach disposed inside and alongside the pair of vertically-extendingpanels, each of the vertical ear rails include a plurality of fasteneropenings for mounting computer components thereto.
 14. The system ofclaim 13, wherein the first and second side portions of the front panelextends over corresponding vertical ear rails of the support rack. 15.The system of claim 13, wherein each panel of the pair ofvertically-extending panels is recessed relative to a correspondingadjacent vertical ear rail.
 16. The system of claim 1, wherein eachpanel of the pair of vertically-extending panels includes a plurality offirst mating members of the water coupler pairs spaced along a length ofthe panel.
 17. The system of claim 1, further comprising an outer framewithin which the support rack is disposed.
 18. The system of claim 17,wherein the outer frame includes vertical posts extending outside of thesupport rack.
 19. A support rack for mounting a computer componentcomprising: a pair of vertically-extending panels, each panel of thepair of vertically-extending panels including one or more first matingmembers of a water coupler pair extending outwardly from the supportrack configured to sealingly engage with corresponding second matingmembers of the water coupler pair coupled to the computer component. 20.A computer component for mounting to a support rack comprising: a frontpanel including a first side portion and a second side portion; a pairof sidewalls extending rearwardly from the front panel defining aninterior with the front panel; a component water line disposed, in part,in the interior and includes a first end second and a second end sectionextending outside of the interior; and two first mating members of awater coupler pair connected to each other by the component water line,respectively, wherein: a first of the two first mating members of thewater coupler pair is disposed behind the first side portion and coupledto the first end section of the component water line, a second of thetwo second mating members of the water coupler pair is disposed behindthe second side portion and coupled to the second end section, and thefirst and the second of the two second mating members are configured toengage with corresponding second mating members of the water couplerpair disposed on the support rack.